Photograph-easel.



H. G. ITTER. PHOTOGRAPH EASBL.

APPLICATION FILE-D MAR.30. 1907.

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"PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

INVENTOR HERBERT O. ITTER, OF BAY CITY, MICHIGAN.

PHOTOGRAPH-.EASEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed March 30, 1907. Serial No. 365.536.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that I, HERBERT O. ITTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photograph-Easels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to easels or stands, and more particularly to that class of easels or stands designed to receive and display photographs.

In general, photographs accumulate in odd corners, in albums, receptacles or elsewhere, and become soiled, nor are they adapted for display.

One object of my invention is to provide a handsome and ornamental easel or stand adapted to take place of an album for displaying photographs and at the same time prevent them from becoming soiled, dustcovered or injured.

Another object is to provide means for permitting access to the photographs for changing the latter.

A further object is to provide means for retaining the photographs or other illustrations in position.

Other objects Will be more fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the'accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of the invention; Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view thereof; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view; Fig. 4 is a detail view showing two leaves of the door; Fig. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an opaque glass panel; and Fig. 6 is a rear view of a combined mat and picture support.

(A) indicates the side legs of an easel which legs support the frame, a prop leg (not shown) in the rear operating to retain the easel in upright position in the usual manner.

The frame herein shown consists of upper and lower brackets (2) and (3) respectively between which extend panel bars (4) forming a panel or panels arranged in any suitable manner. I have shown three panels arranged semi-hexagonally, but it is obvious that a larger or smaller number of panels otherwise arranged might be used and that the panels may differ in size.

Between the panel bars (4) (4), I may lo- (9) in the mats.

cate plates of translucent material, such as glass (5) extending the full length of the panels. As the weight of this glass when used, is brought to bear on the outer unsupported edge of the lower bracket (3), I prefer to run a removable brace rod (6) from a point near the outer edge of the lower bracket upward to the cross bar (7) connecting the side legs, the rod being removable to permit the door hereinafter set forth to be opened and closed.

Behind the glass plates, I may place mats (8) of any desired color, such mats being apertured, as at (9) (9) to disclosethe pictures. These pictures are preferably carried by a dust proof backing which also serves as a door to close the frame or to admit of access thereto. In the construction illustrated, the door consists of three leaves (10) (10) hinged together as shown at (11) (11), one of the end leaves being hinged to the rear edge of an end panel bar (4).

Extending longitudinally of the door leaves (10) is the picture-holding means, that shown in this instance consisting of a pair of taut 1 wires (12) (12) held in place by any suitable fastening means (13) (13) preferably located so as not to be visible through the apertures Of course, tapes orother equivalent means might be used in place of the wires. The photographs, illustrations or whatnot are adapted to be slid beneath-the wires which frictionally engage the articles to retain them in position.

It may sometimes happen by reason of the fact that photographs are of different sizes, that such a photograph will be too narrow to be retained by either or both of the wires to meet which emergency I provide thumb tacks (14) adapted to support the pictures in position, and these thumb tacks are also useful in connection with the wires for properly centering the pictures relative to the apertures in themats.

The rear faces of the panel bars (4) are rabbet-ed, as at (15) to receive the glass plates and the mats, the door leaves engaging the rear faces of the mats and holding them firmly in position.

In some instances, I may prefer to provide wooden mats (16) apertured as at (17) to display the illustrations, the rear faces of such wooden mats being equipped with the parallel tautenedwires (12) secured by fastenings (13) to receive the pictures, which may be also supported by the thumb tacks (14) if necessary, the front face of the mat being covered by a strip of celluloid (18) or not, as desired. These picture-carrying mats may be substituted in place of the cardboard mats (8), and the door omitted, in the cheaper constructions, or such picture-carrying mats may be used with the door to permit the owner to display one set of pictures, the mat.

and the other set of pictures on the door, thus admitting of a change in the display from time to time. Or instead of providing a glass and a mat separately, I may paint the glass with a suitable color, rendering it opaque and leaving spaces for displaying the pictures on the mat or on the door as desired, as shown at (19). In this manner, I can provide a large number of different effects to meet the individual tastes of persons purchasing the articles. Various effects can be obtained by combining the mats (8), plates 5 or 19, and panels (16) in various arrangements.

It is evident that within the scope of the appended claims many changes might be made in the form and arrangement of the several parts described Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the exact construction herein set forth.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what I claim as new is 1. An easel or stand for ornamental display comprising a suitably supported frame consisting of a plurality of suitably arranged panels, and a door hinged to the frame, the door consisting of a number of leaves equal to the number of panels, the leaves hinged together to conform to the arrangement of panels and apertured mats and pictures received in the frame and held in place by the door.

2. An easel or stand comprising upper and lower brackets, panel bars extending between the brackets, a suitably supported cross bar, and a removable brace rod extending from thelower panel near its outer edge to the cross bar.

3. An easel or stand comprising a frame, a plurality of panel bars dividing the frame into a number of suitably arranged panels, the panel bars being rabbeted, translucent plates and mats fitting in the rabbets and between the panel bars, and a door or closure for the back of the frame, the door consisting of as many leaves as there are panels, the leaves connected together and adapted to retain the plates and mats in position.

4. An easel or stand comprising a frame divided into a plurality of suitably arranged panels, translucent plates and apertured mats received in the panels and means for supporting illustrations consisting of a pair of tautened members extending longitudinally of the panels and lying laterally of the apertures in the mats and fastening means for retaining the tautened members in position.

5. An easel or stand comprising a frame divided into a plurality of suitably arranged panels, a combined mat and plate received in each of the panels, the combined mat and plate consisting of a translucent plate rendered opaque and having blank portions thereon, a closure for the rear face of the frame, the closure comprising a plurality of connected leaves corresponding to the num ber of panels, and tautened wires extending longitudinally of the leaves.

6. An easel or stand comprising a frame, bars dividing the frame into a plurality of panels, translucent material and mats received in the several panels, the mats being apertured, tautened members extending longitudinally of the mats and pictures receivable beneath the tautened members and registering with the apertures in the mats.

7. An easel or stand comprising a frame divided into a plurality of panels, translu cent plates and apertured mats received. in the panels, a closure comprising a plurality of leaves corresponding to the number of panels .and tautened members extending longitudinally of the leaves and laterally of the apertures in the mats.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HERBERT C. ITTER.

Witnesses:

RALPH S. VVARFIELD, N. M. ANGUS. 

